From Hair Grease to Mustangs
by Used.To.Be.Something.279
Summary: (Requested) Pony didn't know what to expect when he met up with Cherry. Maybe a slap to the face, or an angry lecture. But when the meeting turns into something new, not everyone approves. But if they (the gang) don't even know about it, well, that just makes the whole situation go from 'eh' to SIRENS EVERYWHERE. So, what happens when he's so committed, he runs...to the Soc side?
1. Chapter 1

**HELLO IT'S ME YA BOI ANGELA (AKA DIANE279) This is another, requested story. Because when your already writing five stories, why not accept three more? Oh and this will be a short chapter . . . BUT I SWEAR IT'S GONNA BE GOOD!**

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 **3rd POV**

 **Ponyboy** **was in the middle of walking** down the hallway when he saw Cherry -the girl who had bravely volunteered to testify against Bob to help Johnny- walking alone.

 _Again_.

It was kind of a rare sight to see. No scratch that - it _was_ a rare sight to see. A once beloved and popular Soc now basically alone. Boys didn't swarm her, and her girl friends didn't spread rumors or rant to her. Usually people walked alongside her and talked and talked and talked, because they liked to hear her voice or just to watch her smile.

Ever since Bob's death and Johnny's near death, it had all changed. Some of it had been good and some . . . not so much. But now they were walking opposites directions and trying not to be seen with her. And now, they were spreading _rumors_ and _ranting_ about her.

Pony and Cherry had some tension between them, that everyone could sense. Pony of course, didn't know what had happened. Yeah, he knew Cherry wouldn't even glance his way if he tried to talk with her -but only because she had said so. But ever since the mark of Bob's two month anniversary had happened, something changed.

And now it seemed like a Cherry was deliberately avoiding him. Pony used to cross paths with Cherry, but it seems like at one point, she had just stopped going that way, when she went to her classes.

Either she was skipping, (which seemed highly unlikely because Cherry was simply not like that) or she was going all the outside to go to her classes.

Option 2 seemed more logical than option 1.

Ponyboy was headed to his last class of the day when he saw her. It wasn't exactly relief he felt when he saw Cherry. It was a mixture of irritation and betrayal. Yeah, she had helped with Johnny and everything, but after her testimony she seemed kind of distant.

But recently it seemed like Cherry wanted to be noticed by Pony. She kept glancing at him when she thought he wasn't looking. She would sometimes drop her books in front of Pony, but other people picked it up for her. Pony of course, sped away and tried to make it seem like he hadn't even seen Cherry drop her books. but for some reason, it made him feel a little bit guilty. He didn't know why, because he was supposed to be mad at Cherry.

The next time Pony saw Cherry, was during lunch that same week. It had been a slow Friday, and Ponyboy was already pissed because Darry had bickered at him to raise his math grade to a 90.

When he saw Cherry, he felt his face hear up. She was sitting in _his_ spot. The small space in the back of the cafeteria where no one went because there were greasers, and it smelled like vomit. And for some reason it made Pony angry, as he saw Cherry quietly sitting there, ignoring the dirty stares she was being given by a lot of people. He had been trying to get Cherry's attention for almost a year, but after thinking about it for a long time, he gave up. And now, Cherry had just gotten his attention, just like that. For Pony, that wasn't fair.

Pony walked right up to her. "Excuse me, but that's _my_ seat."

Cherry looked up from her book and small smile forming on her face. "Sorry, but I wanted to give this to you." She slowly turned a little bit, and reached into her pocket. She pulled out a small pink note. "For you."

Pony squinted at her. "Thank you," he said and gingerly took the note fromher hand. "Um . . can you move now?"

Then Cherry just closed her book, stared at Pony for what seemed like a long time, and she swiftly got up and walked away. And that was when the dam broke. Pony shoved the note into his pocket, but for a second he thought about ripping it up and throwing it into the garbage. He slumped down in his seat by the window and angrily ripped opened his lunch bag. On accident his appled rolled out into the Soc side and he knew that he was just going to be eating his small package of yogurt.

 _She had absolutely no right to just talk to me when I have been tryin' to talk to her for a whole year._

Pony didn't seem to notice, butthe whole time he just kept ranting about Cherry for the whole day, he kept making weird faces.

 **TIME SKIP**

It was a Sunday when Pony remembered the note in his pocket.

"Darry! What do we have in the frige?"

"I don't know, you're going to have to go and buy something to eat that night." He called back.

"Sodapop will do that when he gets home okay?"

"Sure!"

Silence.

"Hey, are you going to go see Johnny today?"

Pony paused as he dumped out his homework onto the table. "Hmmm," he said quietly. "I don't know! I have a lot of things to do!"

"Okay, just tell me if you go out okay?"

He'd been reading when he was sent to wash the laundry by Darry, and he irritably did. He gathered all the smelly clothes of his brothers and dumped it into the wash. That was when he saw his pants, and he since he wasn't really angry anymore, he thought, _why not?_

 _Ponyboy,_

 _I really need to talk to you. I'll be waiting after school at the Dingo._

 _Please come, it's important business._

 _Even if you don't come, I'll wait for you._

 _\- Cherry_

As Pony read those words, he had immense guilt. He had stood Cherry up. He was supposed to meet up with her that Friday. He shook his head. _No, there's no reason for you to feel guilty. Even if you did know what was written, you still should've stood her up,_ he thought.

But not even Pony was sure of what he was thinking.

He read the note again, ' _Even if you don't come, I'll wait for you.'_

Pony quickly dumped the rest of the clothes into the wash, dumped a whole cup of detergent, clicked the 'start' button and ran out of his house.

He was going to go to the Dingo.

"Darry I'm going out!"

Pony slammed the door before Darry could answer, and he sprang away.

 **X X X**

 **Ponyboy was sitting o** n a red stool, anxiously waiting for an answer. He was trying not to seem to desperate for the answer, but the wait was killing him. He tried to ignore the small glances that were being tossed at both him and Cherry.

They had talked for a while, but it had all resulted in awkward periods of silence and unpredictable staring competitions. It was to say, uncomfortable.

"Well?" He asked again. "Why did you really do it?"

Seated right next to him, was a fiery red head. She coughed, and took a sip of her coke. "I . . . I'm sorry. I just had to."

Ponyboy just stared at her. "Cherry, that isn't a real answer."

Cherry tapped her nails on the can. "I guess I really don't have an explanation."

There was silence.

"I guess I really wanted to just apologize. Not by writing it down on some piece of paper and handing it to you. No, I had to talk to you face to face." She paused and looked at her nails. "I don't think you really understand Pony. I really did love Bob. I knew Johnny was a shy and all that, but when _Johnny_ killed Bob, even if it was by accident. Gosh, I don't know. I just couldn't bear it. I had to separate myself from everyone. And I did. "

"So you wanted to apologize because you felt guilty?" Pony feebly asked.

Cherry looked down. "In the beginning, yes. Because I got you two boys involved with us. If I hadn't asked you to come sit with us, then Bob and his group might've not yelled at you for trying to take us away from them . . . and then the rest would've have happened."

Pony nodded.

"So, can be friends again?"

Pony nodded eagerly. "Of course, lets start off as friends again."

Both of them stood up from their seats and headed outside. They could feel everyone confused looks and stares at them, but being as carefree as they were, they chose to cignore the stares. Because nothing was separating them again from just talking or hanging out. Not social boundaries or status. Not people's expectations of being with stereotypical hoodlums. Not others who thought it was wrong to be with someone who was poor. Nothing.

Pony was halfway down the steps when he stopped and turned to face Cherry. He extended his arm out. "My name is Ponyboy Curtis."

Cherry stopped for a second, before smiled wickedly and shut her eyes, trying to remember a long time ago, what she had once said. "That's an original . . . " She paused and opened her eyes. " . . . and lovely name."

Ponyboy stood up taller and with a proud voice he said, "My dad was an original person. I've got a brother named Sodapop, and it says so on his birth certificate." He said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, and Cherry couldn't help but slightly laugh.

Cherry smiled and extended her arm too. "Nice to meet you Ponyboy. My name's Sherri, but I'm called Cherry because of my hair. Cherry Valance."

Both of them shook hands, and that is where it started.

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 **Oops, i feel like this was a really crappy chapter -i feel like everything I write sucks- but I think I like where this is going. Sorry for any spelling grammar mistakes, I kinda rushed. I hoped you liked it**!

 **SORRY FOR SHORT CHAPTER!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another chapter! Wait . . . I don't remember if I mentioned this, but here goes nothing *sighs* I DO NOT OWN THE OUTSIDERS. Oh and sorry for any mistakes . . . . when I wrote this chapter, it was around 1 am?**

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Marcia wasn't a patient person, and everyone, I mean everyone, knew this. She was waiting in her own car wishing that she had put on sunscreen because the day was uncomfortably hot and humid. The sun was beating down on her somewhat pale skin. She was tapping away at her wheel and vaguely wondered if Cherry had brought some.

Marcia was someone you could call nice. She could be real sweet too, but if you made her wait more than you promised, she could turn against you. That happened quite a lot, and the only person who had really stuck with her had been Cherry.

Life at home for Marcia was a place where she got things quickly, without anyone asking questions. The same went for Cherry. Or so, everyone hoped and suspected.

You could say that Marcia suspected that something was up when Cherry became quiet after Bob's death. She was too quiet for her liking. But after a while, when Marcia had accepted that her friend would probably remain silent for another decade, she began to talk. And suddenly everyone could see the spark in her eyes again. Not that many people noticed though. But it was strange. Teachers definitely did. People outside of school did. Family did. And so did Marcia.

All of a sudden she went from a practically depressed person, who wore nothing but boring colors, to one who wanted to go outside and enjoy the sunlight. Not many people noticed the shift or change. People couldn't tell though if it was because a new year had started, because when a new year started at school, a lot of people wanted to start fresh. Cherry had bought brighter clothes. Others might've assumed it was her new choice for a new year. At first, so did Marcia, because she didn't want to know what had been occurring in Cherry's life.

Marcia, however knew better.

And now, as she was sweating in the seat of her car trying as patiently as she could, waiting for Cherry to show up, it hit her.

 **x x x**

Cherry was a good girl. She respected, or tried to respect everyone, as best as she could, despite who they were. She tried to be kind to everyone, because it was simply a good thing to do, and she liked the feeling. But as soon as she saw Marcia's grumpy face and her jumpy self, it shook her.

She wondered if she knew . . . but that wasn't likely, because they had been meeting up in places where no one really went.

Pony and Cherry had been talking for a week. That's how long it took for them to catch up with all the news about each other. And that's how long it took for Cherry to realize how much time she had wasted sulking around. How much time she had wasted with Bob, who was to put it nicely, not the nicest person in the world. He was rude. He would drink too much for Cherry's liking, and in one occasion, had almost hit her. Bob of course didn't remember the next day, but Cherry did, and it scared her.

Pony was different in a good way. He was good looking. He got good grades. He respected people despite their own differences. He cared about his future. He had a good attitude towards life. What else would a girl want? He was basically all what a girl wanted.

Cherry, however was unsure of theses feelings. There's no way I like him. She thought. I just got over Bob, and Pony . . . . not to mention that she was in fact older than him, by at least two years. Besides, she would be going to college in an Ivy league school real soon, and Pony? Well being as honest as she could, he would get into college . . . but he wouldn't be as luck as her. She would be leaving quite soon, but Pony had two more years ahead of him. In the end, it would be futile because people were always being separated.

 **o o o**

Marcia and Cherry were headed to a pool party. You could say that Marcia was hyped, but Cherry on the other hand wasn't. People looked at her differently ever since Bob, they treated her differently too, and she didn't like it one bit.

She was somewhat afraid of facing people now. Now, that a new year of school had started didn't mean that people would suddenly start being nice at her. No. She was wrong.

 **FOCUSED ON PONYBOY**

Ponyboy was reading a book on his bed when Soda tumbled through the room. He looked panicked, and Pony felt his heart beat faster.

He slammed his book shut and jumped out of bed, almost falling on his elbow, which would've been painful. "What's wrong Soda?" He asked frantically and shook his shoulder. "Is Johnny okay? What happened?"

Soda's eyes darted around the room and he ripped out of Pony's grip. "Oh god, I let Two-Bit talk me into the most stupidest things!"

He started to fling clothes from their closet to the floor. Pony relaxed a bit, but he could still feel his heartbeat in his ears. "What's wrong? What'd he do this time? "

Soda gasping for breath -you could tell- but he kept talking. "I've gotta hide before he finds me!" He shoved most of the things from their closet t aside. "Pony if he asks tell him that you didn't see me since the morning."

Ponyboy's eyebrows furrowed. "Hide? Hide from who? Is it Steve. Did you get Dar-"

Suddenly, there was a slam of the door that shook the house. Footsteps making their way to their room.

"WHERE THE HELL IS SODAPOP CURTIS?!" A voice yelled, sending shivers down both boy's backs. "YOU BETTER PRAY THAT DARRY STOPS ME!"

Pony whirled around to face his brother. "You got Dally angry?" He whispered, clearly horrified. "What did you do?!"

"I'll explain later," Soda crammed himself into the closet. "Just- hurry up! Throw the clothes on top of me -the shoes too! Everything!"

Pony shakily began to stuff the closet with things he completely forgot had existed. He crammed everything in, from shoes, clothes to cardboard, until Soda was completely covered. He gingerly and shakily shut the door and ran to bed.

The footsteps were getting louder and louder and louder, until the door flung open. Pony ripped open his book.

There stood Dallas Winston, covered it what appeared to be orange paint. He was fuming so much, his face was red.

He angrily scanned the room, catching a glimpse of Pony, who to be honest looked terrified.

"Pony, have you seen Soda? I swear I saw him run to you guys house." He scratched his head furiously.

"Uh, no I haven't seen him since morning." Pony replied, gripping his book tightly. "What happened?"

It was fairly obvious what had happened, but he assumed Dally would want to rant and complain about it. Dally ran his hand through his hair, making little droplets of paint to fall. Pony didn't point it out and stared expectantly at Dally.

"That Two-Bitch and your brother of yours really messed up this time." He spat. "Not only did they prank me, but ya wanna know where the can fell? Yeah that's right, it fell right on my burn. The doc ain't giving me more pills for it, so i gotta be real careful."

Pony nodded. "Yeah, they should've been more careful. Do you want some Advil?"

Dally smiled. "I got Keith right in the face. He should be expected to be able to see again in a week or so. He might be able to walk tomorrow."

Pony gulped and prayed that Darry got home before Dally did something bad to Soda. "They should start being more aware what's going on. I'll tell Darry to tell them to be more carefull okay?"

Dally began to grumble. "Carefull my ass. Nah kid, I don't want them. You need them more than I do." He wiped his face. "Well anyways kid, catch ya later."

He started to turn but stopped. "Hey Pony, why's yer book upside down?" Pony looked down immediately. "Ya know what? That's not ma problem. You Curtis' are strange."

 **Time Skip**

Soda had managed to barely escape, but he wasn't that worried about Soda. After all, Soda could take care of himself.

Pony could feel the wind whip across his face. He could hear his heavy breathing and his feet slapping onto the pavement.

He was late.

They usually met up in the park after the sun had gone down. She usually climbed a tree and talked to Pony from the ground, so if that someone came looking for him, they wouldn't' see her.

It had worked perfectly for a long time.

Pony could lean against the tree and close his eyes, as he heard Cherry talk to him about what she liked to do. It never bored him.

But that day was different.

Marcia -again with Marcia- knew something was off when her friend had holed herself up in the bathroom for most of the pool party, and didn't come out until it was nearly time to leave. She could tell that something was bothering her. But it wasn't like she could walk up to Cherry and ask her what was wrong. For if she did, Cherry would deny everything and become defensive. She knew too well how Cherry would react if she asked.

So as soon as the party was over and she dropped Cherry off, she went back home. That's when the fun started because Marcia started to watch her every move.

They lived right across the street from each other, and it wasn't even a wide street. Cherry's house had a lot of windows too, and for the first time, Marica was thankful.

When Cherry took a step out of the house with a particularly normal outfit, Marcia took action. It had started to get dark, and she wondered if Cherry's parents knew where their daughter was going. They didn't really like it when she went out after dark, even in their own neighborhood. Greaser and Soc alike, boys were boys.

It wasn't much of a walk really. Marcia followed behind her, almost a block behind, so that if Cherry turned around Marcia could hide behind something.

Marcia actually started to wonder what the point of following Cherry was because she was literally just walking and looking at trees.

But when Cherry suspicious looked around and cut a corner so quickly that Marica herself almost didn't see it, Marcia knew that fun was coming up.

What she was was shocking.

Cherry was on the other side of town. Well, the park side.

There was a park that lay and expanded onto both sides of the two parts of town. The park shared half with the eastside, and southside. It wasn't really that shocking when Cherry simply walked over to the greaser side, because occasional everyone had gone to the other side.

What did shock her, was the fact that Cherry climbed a tree. When had she learned to CLIMB A TREE? Why would she even risk dirtying her clothes? What happened if her socks ripped? Marcia was bewildered, and was about to walk right up to Cherry and ask her what was going on.

That was when a boy appeared out of the shadows and leaned against the very same tree that Cherry was in.

Marica recognized the boy. She had seen him once in a drive in before Bob's death. He was also at fault. But what was he doing here?

Marcia shook her head. No, she should assume that her friend was meeting up with someone, not to mention secretly. Ponyboy probably hadn't even realized that Cherry was there. Yeah, that had to be it.

But then she heard them talking much to her dismay. She couldn't tell exactly about what, but then she heard laughter too.

And it was happy laughter. Not the forced one that Cherry used at school.

She wasn't too fond of the boy. She remembered his name. It was a strange one. Ponyboy.

Ever since the death of a Soc by a greaser had happened, both groups of people held more hostility towards each other.

Marcia was honestly going to walk away, and mind her own business. If her friend was happy with a boy - even if he was a greaser- then she was happy. She had finally found someone to forget about Bob.

Marcia stalked away, wondering how long they had started meeting each other. But it hurt inside. To know that your supposedly best friend wasn't talking to you about a boy -a greaser- to you. Cherry knew Marcia wasn't too fond of greasers, so Marcia convinced herself that Cherry was doing it for their friendship.

It didn't really work.

She looked over her shoulder, and vaguely saw the outline of the boy and the tree and wondered what would happen if she told about their meetings now that there was more rivalry between both groups. A poor boy and a rich girl.

Chaos; that's what would happen. An absolute mess

Marica promised to herself, Cherry and Pony -even though they didn't know- that she wouldn't be telling anyone. She faked zipping her mouth with a key and threw that key somewhere in the green patch of grass.

But Marcia was also a loud mouth. She spread around gossip, that was who she _was_.

And unintentionally, the news spread like a wildfire.

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 **Oops, I felt like I skipped around to much….. Ehhhhhhhhhhh**

 **I was listening to Come On Eileen as I wrote this chapter, and this is a pretty serious chapter, but I can't help but feel happy. I should've listened to sad songs . . . . Well anyways thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Almost two months huh? (Thee? Four?) Im real sorry, uuhhhhuhhhh anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy. (On that note, You guys should really read** _ **Inkheart**_ **; good book right there.)**

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 **MARCIA'S POV**

Marcia was being somewhat creepy, but it wasn't like she was going to admit it. If someone else saw it, it would count as stalking. Marcia knew she was acting strange. She wasn't going to call it stalking. What was it called when you're: following-your-friend-with-her-boyfriend-and-trying-to-find-out-what-their-true-relationship-was _was?_ It was creepy for sure. But hey, it looked like a good story to follow and Marcia had never been someone who cared what other people thought about her. Well, except Cherry, but Cherry was her best friend.

Anyways.

But after catching Pony and Cherry that one time at the park, that one night a while back, Marcia hadn't seen Cherry in over a week. Not even that Ponyboy kid who always skittered away from trouble. Nope. Not in between classes, not afterschool, not during lunch, not even at that one party at Sheila's house. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. But of course, Marcia would've understood if she actually knew that was happening. Cherry had cheer after school. She had to help with her parents and take care of little kids (she got paid for that of course), maybe even study for a few quizzes. And she even volunteered at a shelter after school too.

Marcia had been exiting her Chemistry class, getting ready to run in a dead sprint to get to her other class on the other side of the schoo. But all those thoughts about what route she should take, disappeared when she saw them.

Cherry and that kid Ponyboy.

Holding. Hands. And. Looking. At. Each. Other. In. The. Eyes.

And that wasn't the worst of it, because she always knew in the back of her mind that they had been together, but it was the fact that they were kind of doing it in public.

But _Cherry_. As in her _best friend_ Cherry who always told her everything, but apparently hadn't told her about her real relationship with Ponyboy. Cherry the _Soc_ , once of the most beloved and popular girls in school.

Marcia didn't even remember much of anything anymore, she hadn't seen Cherry in so long. So, so long. Had she been hanging out with that greaser all that time? All that week? The mere thought made Marcia feel queasy, because Cherry would've told her that she was busy at least. But no, there hadn't even been a peep . . . .

And Ponyboy Curtis, the Greaser. Yeah, he got good grades and everything. Marcia didn't even want to look at them, because now it was confirmed that they had something going one. So she scampered away in the other direction, trying to think of a perfect time to talk to Cherry and headed to her class.

In the end, she was one minute late to gym class and since the P.E teacher had despised her so, she was forced to run two laps, instead of one.

Damn it.

 **X X X**

It was obvious, but Marcia wanted to hear the words come right out of Cherry's mouth. So once school was over that Friday, Marcia went to find Cherry at her locker and waited. It wasn't long actually. Cherry came walking alone, two textbooks in her hand and her hair tied up. She was wearing a nice soft red skirt and for a second, Marica could see why Ponyboy liked her.

When Cherry saw Marica, she smiled sweetly and Marcia couldn't help but feel irritated and hurt. Because who can smile that wide knowing that they've been keeping things from their best friend, whom had shared her own secrets with; ones even more serious than just dating a greaser.

Marica felt her own textbook, which was in her bag, digging itself into her back, but she didn't move. She kept still, forcing a smile back at Cherry as she came closer and closer and closer and it just slipped out.

"Are you dating Ponyboy Curtis?"

Cherry's was halfway to reaching her locker, her hand with her cute pink nail polish shining in the sun, was in an awkward position. And then Marcia wondered where she had gotten the nail polish, but she had to concentrate. Cherry stopped, looked Marcia in the eyes and nodded. She opened her locker and-

"Yes, I am. He's my boyfriend actually."

Marcia could feel the air run out of her, it was like someone had punched her. But she couldn't really know that, because she'd never been punched. Maybe it was hard to breath because she'd been holding her breath . . .

But _boyfriend_? Dating was one thing. Dating was hanging out, going to restaurants and talking. There was no real thing there. Or was there? She hadn't gone on a date for so long . . . ( _Stay on track Marcia_! She thought.) Well, occasionally you went by car on dates, and stayed out late, spent money on eating, and maybe some hand holding. Now a boyfriend? A boyfriend meant more. It meant kisses, lots of dates, _trust_ , definetly hand holding (Marica had seen this earlier) and of course pronunciations of love. Maybe not love, but a deep crush, or like _like._

Marcia kept quiet for a moment wondering when it had all started. Wondering if it had happened or started even before she had begun to pay more attention. "When did it happen?"

Cherry looked up as she put some folders at the base of locker. "It's been a while . . . " she paused and looked up, her brows in a confused look. "I don't really remember when. But do remember when we met the boys at the drive in?"

Marica was hoping that she hadn't been seeing Pony for that long, otherwise if Bob would've still been alive, he would've pummeled Pony. And Ponyboy seemed like a good kid.

"The night Bob was killed?" Marcia asked in a low whisper. Eyes darting down the hall as if she was saying something forbidden. "Did you fall in love with him then?"

Cherry shook her head, a neutral look on her face. "No. Not right away. He was a good person, I got to know him and we were friends."

"Was it this year?" Marcia was getting impatient. The answers were so close, but Cherry either wasn't responding the way Marcia wanted them to, or she didn't know the answer. She thought the latter was more annoying, but she kept her thoughts to herself.

"Maybe." Cherry shrugged, like she didn't really care, but she should've because almost every new couple had monthly anniversaries.

"I don't really remember," Cherry continued, repeating the phrase more seriously again, as if America had offended her. "One day we just started talking again, and it clicked."

Marica looked down the hall, which was now empty. Had they really taken that long? She shifted and leaned against a locker. "You're going to see him again, that greaser, right? Are you waiting for him?"

Cherry zipped up her backpack. "Yes, I'm waiting for Ponyboy," she said and slammed her locker shut. Marcia could feel that Cherry didn't like it when she called him a greaser, so she kept it in the back of her mind. The way she had corrected his name in almost a hostile manner and the locker of course. It gave it away.

"Where are you going?" Marcia asked, trying to change Cherry's thoughts from leading down a unhappy path. "A date?"

Cherry walked down the hall slowly. She gripped onto her backpack and she scrunched up her nose, as if the idea was completely stupid and impossible. "No, it's not a date," she said slowly. "I'm helping him study for English. We had the same teacher."

Marica stopped herself from asking what they had been doing that night in the park, suddenly realizing that they had passed a similar looking tree as they walked by the large window. And instead she asked, "Are you happy?" because usually that's what best friends asked each other.

Cherry got this stupid grin on her face and Marcia exhaled. _At least she's happy._

"Yeah." She sighed deeply. "I'm happy."

Marcia was picking at her fingernails. She was debating whether or not asking Cherry if her parents knew she was dating a greaser was a good idea. She settled for 'do it now and get it over with' because unanswered questions made her nervous and jumpy.

"Do your . . . parents know?"

"My parents know I'm dating a respectable young man who is younger than me. They know that I like him. They know that he's smart and has loving older siblings who care about his grades."

Marcia walked on ahead and opened some doors, holding them open for Cherry who said 'thank you.' of course.

"But they don't know he's a greaser right?"

Cherry scowled and proceeded to open another pair of doors. "It's just a label. It doesn't define him. Yeah, some people think he dresses sloppily, but that's because he doesn't have as many chances or opportunities as we do." She unclenched her backpack straps. "I don't even notice it, if that's what you think. I only see him, for him. To me, he's perfect."

Marcia nodded quickly. "Yeah, he seems good for you too." She was going into unknown territory now . . . "But would you still be friends with him if Bob wasn't dead?"

Cherry's head snapped back. "Of course," she said almost immediately and Marcia thanked God that she hadn't hissed at her like a dragon. "I would've broke up with Bob anyways. It was only a matter of time."

Marcia coughed, she moved her hands in a circular motion. "Does he know the whole flow of your schedule? Does he know what you like? If I asked Ponyboy what types of flowers you liked or what your favorite book was, would he be able to answer them."

"Actually yes. Her favorite flowers are white carnations. And I wouldn't know what her favorite book is, because she has too many too count. Maybe she'd choose between her top ten," a voice answered from behind them

Cherry and Marcia turned around (Marcia actually spun around, because holy mother of Jesus that kid was a quiet one.)

"Hi Pony," Cherry smiled. "I thought you were going to wait for me at the library?"

 _Ouch. She was going to leave me to go to the library with Ponyboy._

"I got held up. My P.E teacher had us do two more laps 'cause this one Senior wasn't following directions," Ponyboy said and stared at her.

Marcia was just nodding to herself, pretending she was on a reality tv show, as she watched her best friend and this greaser kid talk at each other with so much light in their eyes. She wasn't even mad when they basically forgot about her. But she had to cut in when they started talking about kissing and flower meanings for some reason.

"Heya love birds," Marcia sing songed, "I'm still right here."

Cherry only smiled and pushed back her hair. Pony blushed and stepped back a little.

"Sorry," he said. I get really distracted easily. Did you know that yellow flowers mean friendship and optimism?"

Marcia wanted to laugh. This kid was just like her. "Yeah, Don't worry about it Ponyboy," she said. "I get easily distracted too."

Cherry tapped Pony's shoulder and he turned. "Well shouldn't we be going? Isn't your project due in two days?" She turned to Marcia. "Sorry Marcia, we better get going."

"You should talk to Two-Bit more, he reminds me of you," Pony quipped up, facing Marcia now. "Well, see you soon. I have to do this project." He moved his hands. "You know . . . "

Marcia nodded earnestly. "Of course, of course. You need to go do your project and," she turned to Cherry, "you need to help him."

 _Is Cherry acting out of character or something? This would be cool if it were a movie._

 **X X X**

 **PONYBOY'S POV**

"Remember when Marcia and Two-Bit met each other and talked that time at the movie house? I don't think they really talked much after, you know, after the incident. Maybe we should rekindle their friendship," Pony was saying. "I feel like since we're all in the clear, maybe we should start helping Marcia. I think Two-Bit broke up with Kathy a long time ago."

Cherry looked up from her book and scrunched her nose. "You're supposed to be concentrating, not worrying about Marcia. Sometimes she just likes to get into everyone's business. She can take care of herself. And besides, I think she still has a crush on Randy."

"Really?" Pony was quiet for a second. "Do you not like her? Is that why you don't . . . doesn't really matter?"

"Of course if matters, and I do care. She's my best friend, it's just that . . . " she put her book down. "I don't think she really likes you, and that bothers me. She also told me that Two-Bit was kind of crazy."

Ponyboy cracked a smiled. "Yeah, he can be like that at times."

"Most times."

A nod. "Yeah."

"Well anyways, keep doing your project. If Darry finds out that you started it late, he'll skin you."

"Nah, he won't." Pony scoffed. "But if I get a 90 or something, then yeah."

"He just wants the best for you. We've already been over this Pony. He's trying."

Pony frowned. "I know, it's just that. The whole thing with Johnny . . . it's also stressing me out. I can't stand seeing' him like that." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I know it's not my fault but I can't help but feel guilty. The doc said he ain't going to be walking in a long time. Maybe never."

"We can get some ice cream later," Cherry said, shifting the subject gently. "And maybe on the way we can bring something for Johnny. A little snack or something. Darry won't mind will he?"

"No," Pony admitted. "He won't mind. Not if it's Johnny. I'll call him and let him know."

"First you have to finish your project. You're almost done. Just need to copy your essay and give one to the teacher." Cherry said. "The sooner you finish, the sooner we can see Johnny."

"Okay, okay," Pony said. "Keep reading, and I'll keep doing this." He waved around his ten page packet. "I'll be done in no time."

"Good."

And with that, Cherry stuffed her nose in a book and continued to read until Ponyboy claimed that he finished. In which, Cherry checked over all his work, pointed out things that needed some fixing, and then they were out the door.

 **. / . / . / . / . / .**

Ponyboy pulled out a chocolate bar from a yellow plastic bag, and handed itto Johnny. "I bought this for you," he said. "Tomorrow is cookies, Right?"

"Yep." Johnny leaned in and grabbed the bar, opened it and took a small piece of before he slipped it into his mouth. "Thanks Pony."

Ponyboy nodded and folded the bag. Cherry softly closed the door and waved at Johnny, who of course, waved back.

Johnny had only eaten one small bite when he sighed, looked at Pony, and said, "still can't have some smokes can't I?"

"No, Johnny." Pony answered almost immediately, the answer repeated so many times that it just flowed out of his mouth. "The doctors and I have been over this. If you want your lungs to get better, you need- "

"I don't get it." He sighed again. "You can still have smokes."

Pony nodded, and shrugged. "The doctors said I had to cut back too, and I didn't wanna waste any money. So I don't buy 'em anymore." Ponyboy pointed at himself and at Johnny. "We're basically equals now."

Johnny nodded, and focused his attention to Cherry. "How's everything going Cherry? I haven't seen you in a week. Everything good?"

Cherry sat down in one of the chairs. "Nothing new lately. I have homework, my parents this, and my parents that." She stopped. "Anyways, enough about me. How're you doing Johnny? Everything's getting better?"

Johnny smiled shyly at Cherry. "I'm doin' mighty fine. The food is still bad, but I can't really complain, ya know?" Then his eyes brightened up, and he slowly sat up straighter too. "They got me standing up already. Oh, and thanks for askin' anyways."

Pony's eyes widened, and he gasped loudly. "They got you to stand up? When? Does the rest of the gang know?"

"Just started yesterday." Johnny said smiling. "I almost fell the second my feet touched the ground thought. But it was a good start." Then he shook his head. "Two-Bit passed by in the morning yesterday. Gave me some jello and said that he'd be back soon." Johnny cracked a grin. "Turns out, he gave me the hospital jello and he hasn't been back since."

Cherry smiled faintly. "That sounds like Two-Bit alright," she stated, then opened her bag and pulled out a worksheet. "Here, this is for you."

Johnny moved a little, trying to see what it was. "What is it?" he asked.

"It practice for next week." She waved her hand. "Well, you guys will be learning this next week, but since you already finished your other stuff, it'd be better if you started this."

Johnny nodded. "Yeah, that's smart." Then he winked at Pony. "Hey Pony, she's catching up."

Ponyboy grinned and looked at Cherry. "Nah, she was always smart."

"You're just saying that." She winked at both of them. "I didn't skip a grade but I'm pretty smart, and I got a pretty smart boyfriend too."

Pony laughed. "Aw, you're just saying that," he mimicked.

"Oh guys, call it quits." Johnny said and barked out a laugh. "You guys are too funny." He took a small sip of water next to him. And Cherry and Pony looked at each other in the eyes.

"Aw, you're just saying that!" They both said at the exact same time.

In the end, Johnny almost choked on his drink and Pony and Cherry got a warning from the nurse. It was funny, and the nurse also chuckled a bit, but then the nurse cut to the chase, and said Johnny needed to rest. She looked down at her chart and repeated it more strongly. Then she left.

"Johnny," Ponyboy huffed out, once the nurse was out of sight. "You being put to bed at seven? What's with that? The latest I can get to bed is at ten, and that's unless Darry's yelling at me. "

"I dunno. I think I hafta get a good night's rest before I start trying' to walk again." He looked at his legs. "I got tired pretty quickly too . . . "

"Ponyboy," Cherry said, "I used to go to bed at eight. Besides, Johnny needs to get some rest. I bet all that fun was too much for you," she teased. "He might've fainted right then and there. The jokes were all too much, right?"

"Nope," Johnny said seriously, his eyes smiling. "Last time, Two-Bit got kicked out because he hopped on one of those, what'cha call it, oh, wheelchairs. He was flying across the halls."

Cherry nodded, her voice suddenly turning into in a serious tone. "Oh my, that might've been dangerous, doctors and patients might've been all over the place too."

"Yes, and not to mention that fact that we also need to go before Darry starts to worry." Ponyboy cut in. Then he smiled. "See ya soon Johnnycake. Sorry for the short visit."

"Nah, it's okay. I was getting pretty bored." He paused and looked up at the ceiling. "If you see Dally, tell him stop by. So he can see what I'm up to. I haven't seen him in two weeks . . . "

Pony frowned. "The last time I saw him was last week. Maybe he got hurt again. Or thrown in jail."

"Oh yeah, but anyways, I didn't want him to think that I forgot all about him."

"Don't worry Johnny." Cherry said. "If he's in jail, I bet he'll know it's not your fault."

"Bye guys," Johnny said.

"Bye."

And then, they both opened the door and walked down the empty halls.

* * *

 **I like to think that Cherry is a fierce independent woman who isn't afraid of Dally and I want Johnny and Cherry to bond. (I'm doing my math homework as I finish this, I'm sorry for any mistakes.)**


End file.
